Year-round Yuletide oddities

Category Archives: country sort of

‘They’ll be singing… Gonna be singing…” begins the song. We feel like we’re IN THE MUSIC. Whoa, Nelly.

“Christmas Carols by the Old Corral” was minor hit for Tex Ritter in 1945. Former Ritter back up Wesley Tuttle adds some aw-shucks yodeling to his concurrent version. Gene Autry flattened it for his Melodie Ranch broadcast of the same year. Nine years later Luke Simmons and His Blue Mountain Boys add some rock guitar but subtract with gramma’s electric organ.

What do you do when the deserving go cold, the lambs are lost, the Christmas spirit doesn’t perform miracles? Well, you could sing. It might make you feel better.

The Dean Martin Show’s Las Vegas showgirls back-up formed a group called The Goldiggers (it was a sad time) and hit the racks with a ’69 Xmas album offering a version of giving: “I Sing Noel.” Man, those high notes.

Sandler and Young combine for their “I Sing Noel.” Hokey country gospel that invites you to come in out of the cold.

Gospel might heal, so carols certainly uplift. The Statler Brothers spread the word with their Bible belt corn mush, preaching to the choir. “The Carols Those Kids Used to Sing” is a carol they sing. If you’re not a member you may not have heard of ’em.

Singing is part of the Christmas holiday. Hark, what did those herald angels do? Some songs even mention the act, in a fun ironic meta kinda way. No, they are not easy to come across, and some lines will be blurred in order to celebrate thusly.

Go with it.

Riders in the Sky have some virtuosic levity with the connectiveness of all carols with “The Last Christmas Medley You’ll Ever Need to Hear.” It’s largely instrumental, but they’re the cowboys who can swing it. JJ Dion has a “2.0 version” (now with a second verse) that really sings. Schticks to your funny bones.

Wendell Ferguson goes more melodic with “Why Does Every Christmas Song Have So Many Chords?” Slow country swing, deceptively so.

Belgian freedom fighters in 1950s comic book form are just as good of inspiration as any old Grimm’s tale. The Smurfs as a Saturday morning cartoon, however, are johnny-come-latelies to the smurf-capades.

Time Machine alert! If we were to go back to a time before the TV series, we might find the suddenly more valuable Father Abraham ’78 single featuring “Christmas in Smurfland.” Country twaddle with some Continental panache.

Howard Livingston & Mile Marker 24 didn’t know what to get you. He went with his strengths. So “A Christmas Present” here is his mellow country. It’s for his mom and dad. Sentimental, and a spelling lesson.

Just say it. “This Song is Your Christmas Gift.” I hope you like it. It’s better than nothing. Pop from Fairmont. (Perhaps a veiled threat in there.)